Upon seeing New York City in the movies as a child, I wanted to visit or even live in the spectacular city that never seems to rest. Perhaps not live there forever, but experience it long enough to call myself an urbanite or city slicker, and then move back to the mountains. NYC has an appeal because of its diversity, culture and fashion. Yes, I did say fashion. Strange coming from me, but while I’m not a fashionista myself, I absolutely love the artistic expression of self through fashion and there isn’t a place people do that better than in NYC!

It all started at a bar in Lincoln, Nebraska. My sister and I were wrapping up closing her salon and after a long and emotional day we went for dinner and then for drinks to unwind and process the experience. With the my fortieth birthday on the horizon, we got on the subject of what I wanted to do to celebrate. Without hesitation, the very first thing I said was, “I want to go to fashion week in New York City!” The list continued free flowing from my mouth as if it had been steeping in my heart for quite some time, and I noticed my sister frantically taking notes in her phone. I was only half serious with my wildly improbable list, but she wasn’t; that’s what I love about her. The year of the 40 idea was born.

First on the list - attend fashion week in New York City in February. Improbable? Yes. Neither of us knew where to start. We are not influencers, designers or from the media. But nothing stops my sister and before I knew it, the following annual sister trip was planned for NY Fashion Week, and we were going to take mom to round it out as a girls trip.

Since we were in NY to take in fashion week, we were able to snag some tickets to a runway show. Not on an Anna Wintour level, but a show none the less. My mom caught the eye of the bouncer, how cute, and we were able to sit in the front row! The level of my excitement was off the charts. I knew my sister would enjoy it, but what I didn’t expect? My mom LOVED it. Honestly, I thought that would be the least favorite part of the trip for her, but she is ready to go back to another show! My sister and I were the kind of giddy sisters are from time to time after the show and we walked the runway ourselves. Clearly she knows how to be a model and I don’t! Notice her pouty lips? As for what I’m wearing. I was trying to channel my inner Sarah Jessica Park in tights, but it didn’t quite translate as eloquently.

After the show we were still buzzing so we hit up a local joint called Bills in Midtown. After about thirty minutes, the Housewives of Manhattan walked in. Full of lip filler, bleached and blown out air, perfumed, maxed out on makeup and wearing spanx. They weren’t really the housewives, but they could have been. One of them was having a birthday and they were celebrating. Sarah, who can make friends with anyone, was adopted into the group and before the night was over, we had an invite to the Hamptons! Mom and I watched quietly from our perch at the end of the long, mahogany bar as my sister entertained the crowd. Bills is dark and a bit seedy. It is in the basement of an apartment or office building, and I have no idea how we ran across it, but it is definitely a favorite for the locals.

We stayed in the Essex House across the street from Central Park. It was the closest I came to feeling like a New Yorker!

Despite February temps in New York, I wanted to get up every morning and walk through Central Park. My sister agreed to go under one condition - we must find celery juice on our way back to the hotel! Obliged, we ventured out, but never for long. It was freezing!

Most mornings we managed to find celery juice, much to my chagrin. The juice makers didn’t quite know what to do with an order of pure celery juice, and you can tell by the looks on our faces who is enjoying it more! Health must prevail!

On Saturday we ventured out around Manhattan. On the list was a trip to Bloomingdale’s. Not to shop, but to immerse myself in fashion, in particular, the shoes! I have a secret vice for shoes and ever since SJP stood on the sign announcing her shoe line coming to the iconic store, I wanted to see it for myself.

The trip was not all about fashion. Being the bibliophile that I am, I wanted to see the New York Public Library for the history, architecture and the smell of the stacks of books. The building itself did not disappoint, and I could have spent many more hours wandering the halls to take it all in. Much to my disappointment though, all the books have been moved to an underground vault. The library read more like a museum and less like a library housing books. To use the library as a patron you would request your book at a circulation desk and the minions in the basement would bring the book to you.

They happen to be my new favorites as well. Although you won’t see me wearing them with a dress, they are a perfect bit of statement with jeans and a sweater.

After the library, it was back to fashion. Being a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker, I wanted to visit her pop-up shop on 52nd street. Her SJP Collection of shoes are one of my favorite lines of shoes because they are true art pieces. They are wonderfully bright, come in a variety of styles, and seem to make the wearer both sassy and empowered simultaneously. Not expecting to purchase anything because my feet are not made for narrow heels, I was dismayed when I found a pair of slouchy boots I couldn’t live without, and were comfortable. I declared them my year of the 40 boots and I was thrilled when a few weeks after purchasing my Reign boots I see none other than SJP herself sporting the same pair during an interview - declaring them her favorite.

One of the most anticipated moments of the trip was our evening at the Richards Rogers Theater to see the acclaimed production of Hamilton. Albeit sitting in the very last row of the theater I was mesmerized by the craft of live stage acting. The talent, set and costumes were astounding. Sadly, Hamilton was not a favorite, much to others’ shock and awe, but I’m grateful to have experienced a Broadway show.

We are still singing the King George song You’ll Be Back. If you have had the opportunity to see the show, you know which song I’m talking about! He was a highlight of the show.

I was not the only one celebrating a birthday. When my mom turned 60, sadly, we didn’t do anything fun for her birthday. Part of the this girls trip was to also celebrate her. We made a new friend of the manager, Diego, at Rosie O’Grady’s in Times Square late one night. A charming New Yorker, he sat with us most of dinner and decided we couldn’t leave without celebrating our birthdays. A round of drinks and some delicious cheesecake rounded out our fun evening with Diego and it was a nice reminder to indulge a little from time to time.

Early the following morning, after too many cocktails with Diego, Sarah and I headed to the Peloton studio for a spin class. Emma Lovewell, my favorite instructor, was teaching an early morning ride and I wanted to experience a live ride in the studio with her. It was probably the hardest ride I’ve ever taken due the to the fact I was a bit hungover, but I stuck it out and was happy to capture a photo with her after class. One of us still looks fresh…

We packed so much into this long weekend trip and we barely left a three mile radius of the city. There is so much more to explore and I’m looking forward to going back again. This time walking in Central Park without celery juice! Manhattan was everything I thought it would be and then some. It was the quintessential New York I grew up watching in Nora Ephron movies. Next I hope to visit artsy Brooklyn and other grittier, neighboring boroughs. This trip jump started the year of the 40 and I’m grateful to my mom and sister for joining me. They made the trip memorable.

P.S. Doesn’t my sister look like a 70’s era rock star from the back in her skinny jeans and (faux) fur coat?

Growing up I wasn’t interested in puzzles. Not because I didn’t like them, but I wasn’t exposed to them. I caught puzzle fever in college when my best friend Jill introduced me to them. On winter nights when it was too cold to be out and about, and neither of us wanted to study, there would be a puzzle on the coffee table. We would sit on the floor and piece it together with a movie on the tv in the background.

It wasn’t until the last few years that I picked up puzzles again. I pulled one out over Christmas break one year to keep us busy and we haven’t stopped. We take a break from it in the summer due to the fact we spend most of our time outdoors, but as soon as it cools off again we will be back at it.

Why did completing puzzles make the year of the 40 list? This year is all about living life to the fullest and staying present to enjoy the rich, abundant and wildness of it all. That way of being sometimes requires giving up the schedules and tasks and doing something just for fun. Puzzles stimulate my mind, and I work on them while spending time with my family, having a drink or coffee, and always with a movie on or music in the background. It’s deliberate unproductive time and I don’t take that often. My minutes are all filled with things that propel me forward. We don’t always do “still” well. Completing a few puzzles builds in intentional time to just be.

The photo is one of the puzzles we completed in the spring, and after the summer break the puzzle table is ready to go for football season!

If you follow me on social media then you know my birthday dance party was in May, however, since this is the year of the 40, I technically have a year to post about it, right? The thing is, I don’t play by proper blogging rules because it doesn’t feel real to me. I have had the most adventurous year I’ve had in a long time and when the time is right, I’ll document it. So here I am, three months later…

Yesterday was cc’s birthday, so celebrations are in the air, and I woke up thinking about dancing. Never before have I ever wanted to celebrate my birthday, but this year felt different. After a strong dose of self worthiness, I decided to embrace the year.

I absolutely love to dance. Dancing comes as close to being in nature for me in terms of self-love and self-care. Simply put, I need to dance as much as I need to be outside. Apparently, it runs in the family because when my mama, my sister and I all get together, dancing always ensues. Crank up the music, feel the beat and do whatever feels natural to you.

The Midnight Rambler

Naturally, the year of the 40 would include dancing, but I wanted it to be big! I wanted to go dancing with good friends. We set a date, sent out the invites and then cc took it from there. She booked a limo for us, made reservations for a fun dinner and then we went dancing. The love and laughter was hypnotic, and I felt pure bliss, as dancing always does to me.

These two lovely ladies are always my dance partners, and we will start dancing no matter where we are. Fair warning if you ever hang out with us! (And, we must all like the same shoes. Ha!) I am so grateful my mama and sissy traveled to Texas just to go dancing!

These are my two best friends. Jill (left), is my bestie from college. She traveled from Nebraska for the weekend. When I first had the idea for this evening, I knew right away I wanted her to be there. We’ve been dancing together since we met so it was it just made sense! Since college, our lives have gone very different directions, but Jill is one of those friends that no matter the time or distance it’s so easy to pick back up.

BR (right) - her name is Becky - is my other bestie for almost twenty years. She doesn’t love dancing as much as I do, but she is always willing to let me drag her with me anywhere I go. I managed to get her out on the dance floor a time or two. It wouldn’t have been the same with out her there.

These two ladies are new friends that started out as neighbors. I love those kinds of friends and I was happy they chose to celebrate with me because they are both a lot of fun and they love to dance!

I’m sure you are thinking, where are the dance photos? This is about a dance party, after all! Well, we were dancing, and not taking photos! I am beyond grateful cc planned such a fun evening. From start to finish, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate year of the 40!

Many of you have mentioned starting your own lists, birthday milestone or not. I want to hear about them! Leave me a comment.

Running didn’t become my thing until college. Distance running that is. In high school I was a hurdler and sprinter, but with reluctance, I was also on the cross country team. It wasn’t until I couldn’t handle the stress of a full time college course load while working three jobs, and trying to be an active student, that I realized running was more than physical for me. After one particularly difficult and emotional day, I decided to go for a run.

I don’t recall how far I ran, only that I didn’t stop until I was able to get my mind around the magnitude of the moment. From that first run, and I say first because I felt like I was really running for me for the first time, I was hooked. I went for many runs after that and every time I found more and more mentally clarity. Running, in many ways saved me from myself and the self-sabotage I was all too familiar with.

Throughout the years, I have vacillated between being a running fiend and taking a break from it, but I always come back, especially through the dark moments of my life. I’m grateful to have a best friend, BR, that also enjoys running. We decided long ago to participate in races to keep us motivated to run. It’s a lot more fun sometimes when you have a goal on the horizon and friend to do it with you.

So I knew that running and racing would be on the year of the 40 list. I didn’t start the year with the intention to run a race a month, but it’s almost become that, and it has certainly sparked my competitive vibe. The year kicked off in January with a cycle ride to raise funds for rare cancer, like the one a sweet daughter of a friend experienced in her young life. The beginning of March’s race was an annual tradition with BR, and in April when I asked cc to join us, we were rained out!! May’s race has been my favorite so far because we ran along a river and finished it with tacos and beers! We also ran into an old friend, which made it a lot more fun.

The plan for the rest of the year is to change it up a bit. Increasing mileage, trying a few trail runs and perhaps an obstacle race are ideas I have in mind. No matter what comes, I know I’ll still be out there, most likely with BR, running until my heart is content and my mind is clear. See you on the road!

While I just recently shared with you my year of the 40 list, I’ve been actively working on the list since the beginning of the year. Back in January I checked off #14 on the list; Visit the mountains in snow. It actually checked off two things, the other being visiting my sister, but officially it gets filed under the snow category.

Knowing we wouldn’t get to spend time with my sister and her family over Christmas we decided to plan a snow weekend in Breckenridge, Colorado. The weekend did not disappoint! There was plenty of snow, sunshine and time with my family, both my own and my sister’s. They skied and we spent time introducing P to the snow. When you grow up Texan, it’s a little hard to comprehend until you’re immersed in it. We did a little shopping, sledding and we visited the amazing Dillon ice castles.

Just as I was hoping, P loved it and I’m convinced I’ll be able to get him to go again. My other Texan, cc, might be harder to convince. I was grateful she prepared well and wore multiple layers of clothing…except for when she went sledding! That is her in the middle photo sledding in her jeans. Only a Texan can pull that off.

So why did this make the year of the 40 list? For some, the beach is grounding and relaxing. For others, like myself, the mountains speak to the heart more. They help me find a sense of peace, balance and even inspiration. Many of my best ideas seem to come when I’m trekking on a mountain. The snow only enhances that experience for me. There is is a silence and stillness that is hard to explain that envelops me when the ground is covered with snow. There truly is a feeling of hibernation, but in the mental and spiritual sense. Let’s be clear, I want to be out in it, not hiding in a warm space. And out of that feeling I find exactly what I need. I am grateful I was able to experience it with my family, and if it’s up to me, this won’t be the last visit to the mountains in snow.